{"id":105057,"date":"2024-06-13T16:18:53","date_gmt":"2024-06-13T20:18:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=105057"},"modified":"2024-06-14T08:00:02","modified_gmt":"2024-06-14T12:00:02","slug":"scoop-polaris-music-prize-long-list-instrumental-music-place-ecosystem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2024\/06\/13\/scoop-polaris-music-prize-long-list-instrumental-music-place-ecosystem\/","title":{"rendered":"THE SCOOP | The Polaris Music Prize Long List, Instrumental Music And Its Place In The Ecosystem"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Artist and Polaris Music Prize Long Lister Jeremy Dutcher (Photo: Kirk Lisaj)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Polaris Music Prize Long List was revealed on June 11. It consists of 40 albums culled from an original list of more than 200 releases suggested by Polaris Jury members, which, as of this year, include me.<\/p>\n

The 2024 Long List was unveiled at Sonic Boom Record Shop in Toronto\u2019s downtown west end.<\/p>\n

The Polaris Music Prize Long List<\/h3>\n

Of the 40 albums on the Long List, 16 were new to the list, which also included three past winners, and one past Polaris Heritage Prize recipient.<\/p>\n

Singer, composer and transgender activist Beverly Glenn-Copeland<\/strong> has a career that stretches back five decades. The reissue of his 1970 self-titled debut album sparked a revival of interest in this genre-defying artist. Elements of minimalism, Detroit techno, and traditional folk songwriting come together in his work.<\/p>\n

Glenn-Copeland studied classical piano from a very early age, and went on to study at McGill University in the early 1960s as one of the school of music\u2019s first Black students. Along with his own recording projects, for 22 years, he performed on the Canadian classic, the Mr. Dressup show. The Polaris Heritage Artist has returned to recording and touring, and his music is reaching new generations with his latest album The Ones Ahead<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Jeremy Dutcher<\/strong>\u2019s MOTEWOLONUWOK<\/strong> \u14a3\u144f\u1427\u1401\u14d3\u14c4\u1427\u1401\u1483 is one of the releases on the Long List. Dutcher won the Polaris in 2018 with his album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa. His compositions take his classical music training and combine it with pop and other genres through the filter of his Indigenous heritage to create a truly unique musical expression. He has become a favourite guest artist of many orchestras, and is currently on tour through Canada and in Europe for the rest of the year.<\/p>\n

Part of the fun of being a jury member, of course, lies in the introduction to so many new albums and artists \u2014 a dizzyingly long list of them, in fact.<\/p>\n

Montreal\u2019s TEKE TEKE<\/strong> is a band that has woven orchestral instruments into a unique take on the classic rock band. Their name comes from a Japanese urban legend about the ghost of a schoolgirl who dies in a prank gone wrong, and their music is dubbed as Japanese psych-rock. It\u2019s atmospheric and cinematic, a fact that has not escaped the gaming industry. Their tracks have been used in the Assassin\u2019s Creed franchise.<\/p>\n

The instrumentation and Japanese elements create a sound that is reminiscent of 1960s-70s era psychedelia and the avant-garde. The members of the Montreal-based band are: guitarists Sei Nakauchi Pelletier and Hidetaka Yoneyama, bass player Mishka Stein, drummer Ian Lettre, flutist Yuki Isami, trombone player Etienne Lebel, and visual artist and vocalist Maya Kuroki.<\/p>\n

Perhaps art rock will be the next genre that orchestral music will (re)conquer…<\/p>\n

The full 2024 Long List as presented by Canada Council for the Arts:<\/p>\n